Queensland Certificate of Achievement Handbook · The Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA) Handbook Revised Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority July 2016

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The Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA) Handbook Revised July 2016

© The State of Queensland (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority) 2016

Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority PO Box 307 Spring Hill QLD 4004 Australia Level 7, 154 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane

Phone: +61 7 3864 0299 Fax: +61 7 3221 2553 Email: [email protected] Website: www.qcaa.qld.edu.au

mailto:[email protected]

Contents

1 Introduction ______________________________________ 1 1.1 QCIA Statement of Achievement and Statement of Participation ............. 1 1.2 Eligibility for the QCIA ............................................................................... 1 1.3 QCIA eligibility and the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) ........ 2 1.4 Identifying students for a QCIA pathway .................................................. 2 1.5 Key dates ................................................................................................. 3 1.6 Frequently asked questions ...................................................................... 3

2 Registration and the learning account ________________ 4 2.1 Student Data Capture System (SDCS) ..................................................... 4 2.2 Senior Learning Information Management System – Registration and Banking System (SLIMS-RABS) .................................................................. 4

3 Curriculum ______________________________________ 5 3.1 Guideline for individual learning (GIL) ...................................................... 5 3.2 QCIA Curriculum plan builder ................................................................... 6 3.3 Amending a curriculum plan ..................................................................... 6

4 Quality assurance processes _______________________ 7 4.1 Gathering evidence of learning ................................................................. 7 4.2 School-based moderation ......................................................................... 7 4.3 Verification ................................................................................................ 7 4.4 State review .............................................................................................. 8 4.5 Pre-production checks of certificates ........................................................ 8

5 Guidelines for the Statement of Achievement and Participation _____________________________________ 9

5.1 Statement of Achievement ....................................................................... 9 5.2 Statement of Participation ........................................................................ 9 5.3 Entering statements of achievement and statements of participation using SLIMS-RABS .......................................................................................... 10

6 Senior Education Profile (SEP) _____________________ 11 6.1 Senior Statement .................................................................................... 11 6.2 Statement of Results .............................................................................. 11 6.3 Querying QCIA information .................................................................... 11

Appendix 1: Writing conventions for the Statement of Achievement ____________________________________ 12

Appendix 2: List of verbs ______________________________ 15

Appendix 3: Spelling list _______________________________ 19

Appendix 4: Statements of participation options ___________ 23

The Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA) Handbook Revised

Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority July 2016

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1 Introduction The Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA) recognises and reports the achievements of students whose learning is part of an individual learning program. The certificate is an official record for students who have completed at least 12 years of education, and provides students with a summary of their skills and knowledge that they can present to employers and training providers. The QCIA records educational achievement in two ways: Statement of Achievement and Statement of Participation.

The legislative framework for the QCIA is defined in the Education (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority) Act 2014 and the Education (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority) Regulation 2014.

1.1 QCIA Statement of Achievement and Statement of Participation The Statement of Achievement provides an overview of a student’s demonstrated educational achievement within curriculum organisers: 1 Communication and technologies (CT), Community, citizenship and the environment (CCE), Leisure and recreation (LR), Personal and living dimensions (PLD) and Vocational and transition activities (VTA).

Achievements do not need to be recorded for each curriculum organiser. There is a specific format for writing the Statement of Achievement (see Section 5.1).

The Statement of Participation includes the names or titles of activities a student has undertaken. There is no provision for explaining the activity or indicating the nature of any achievements or standards that might be associated with the activity (see Section 5.2).

1.2 Eligibility for the QCIA 1.2.1 Criteria A person is eligible for the issue of a QCIA if:

• the person is nominated for the issue of the certificate by the principal of a school at which the person is enrolled

• the person has completed at least 24 semesters of schooling, other than schooling in the preparatory year

• at least one result for contributing studies for the certificate is recorded in a student account kept for the person

• the person completes studies that are part of an individual learning program developed for the person at the school. 2

1 From 2017, Areas of study and learning (ASL) will be embedded within other curriculum organisers. 2 Education (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority) Act 2014, Education (Queensland Curriculum

and Assessment Authority) Regulation 2014 ss. 118-119.



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1.2.2 Individual learning program An individual learning program for the senior phase of learning which leads to the recording of achievement on the QCIA:

• is a school-developed program of study using curriculum organisers, learning goals and learning focuses from the Guideline for individual learning (GIL)3

• is developed for students who have an impairment or difficulties in learning that are not primarily due to socioeconomic, cultural and/or linguistic factors

• is recorded in a curriculum plan developed using the Curriculum plan builder, which is accessed via the QCAA School Portal4

• does not contribute credit towards the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)

• cannot duplicate learning from enrolments in any QCE-contributing areas of study, e.g. Authority subjects, Authority-registered subjects, QCAA short courses, QCE recognised studies, Vocational Education and Training (VET) certificates or VET units of competency.

1.3 QCIA eligibility and the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) At exit from Year 12, a student cannot receive both a QCE and a QCIA; however, a student may be issued with the QCIA and bank some credit towards the QCE. In this situation, the QCE may be achieved and awarded post-school. For a student to remain eligible to receive a QCIA, they may have up to three completed QCE contributing studies (from the Core learning category) in their learning account (regardless of level of achievement). 5 This may include a combination of: 6

• Authority subjects

• Authority-registered subjects

• VET Certificates II, III or IV.

A student eligible for the QCIA may also record achievements for other learning categories of the QCE in their learning account; for example, a course from the Preparatory learning category such as a VET Certificate I. QCE learning is recorded on the Senior Statement and cannot be duplicated on the QCIA.

1.4 Identifying students for a QCIA pathway Discussions about a QCIA learning pathway occur as part of the senior education and training (SET) plan process. Most schools work with students in Year 10 to develop a SET plan. It is crucial that parents/carers and students are involved in making important decisions about the student’s future education, training and employment. Each school has its own SET planning

3 The Guideline for individual learning (GIL) is available from https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/certificates-qualifications/qcia/curriculum

4 The School Portal may be accessed at https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/. Only authorised individuals may access the School Portal.

5 If a student is able to successfully complete three Authority subjects or a combination of three Authority subjects, Authority-registered subjects and VET certificates, the school should consider whether working towards the QCE is a more appropriate learning pathway.

6 QCIA eligibility does not correlate with a minimum or maximum number of credits contributing towards a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/certificates-qualifications/qcia/curriculum


https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/



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process. For information about SET planning refer to https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/parents-carers/senior/pathway-planning.

1.5 Key dates The senior education profile (SEP) calendar provides key dates about the issuing of all certificates, including the QCIA. It is available on the QCAA website at https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/sep-calendar.

The calendar also includes due dates for data submissions by schools, registered training organisations (RTOs) and recognised learning providers.

1.6 Frequently asked questions The QCIA brochure provides general certificate information and answers to frequently asked questions. It is available on the QCAA website at https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/qcia_brochure.pdf.

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/parents-carers/senior/pathway-planning

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/parents-carers/senior/pathway-planning

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/sep-calendar

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/qcia_brochure.pdf



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2 Registration and the learning account Students are registered with the QCAA during Year 10 or in the 12 months before they turn 16, whichever comes first. Young people are registered by their main learning provider: schools (state or non-state), registered training organisations (e.g. TAFE) or other approved organisations. In most cases, schools register young people.

When a student is registered, the QCAA opens a learning account for them. The student is assigned a Learner Unique Identifier (LUI) and password so they can access their web-based account through the Student Connect website.

The learning account records enrolments and results of any QCE-contributing studies.

2.1 Senior Learning Information Management System – Registration and Banking System (SLIMS-RABS) To register students, use QCAA’s SLIMS-RABS at https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/slims.

Registration is complete once an Intended Learning Option (ILO) has been selected and entered into the learning account. For students who are working towards a QCIA, the ILO selected should be QCIA.

2.2 Student Data Capture System (SDCS) At the start of the senior phase of learning, schools indicate eligible QCIA students in the student details screen of SDCS, by ticking the QCIA box (black tick, not grey tick) and indicating the disability in the adjoining field on this screen.

The SDCS software package contains help files, accessible from the QCAA website at https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/sdcs.

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/slims

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/sdcs



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3 Curriculum

3.1 Guideline for individual learning (GIL) The Guideline for individual learning (GIL) consists of curriculum organisers, learning focuses and learning goals for developing curriculum plans for senior secondary students working toward the QCIA.

The five curriculum organisers are:

• Communication and technologies (CT)

• Community, citizenship and the environment (CCE)

• Leisure and recreation (LR)

• Personal and living dimensions (PLD)

• Vocational and transition activities (VTA).

QCIA curriculum plans do not need to have learning goals from all five curriculum organisers.

The following figure is an excerpt from the GIL outlining the curriculum structure, accessible from the QCAA website at https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/qcia_guidel_ind_learn.pdf

Curriculum organisers

Communication and technologies

Community, citizenship and

the environment Leisure and recreation

Personal and living dimensions

Vocational and transition activities

Learning for each of the five QCIA curriculum organisers is defined in the curriculum organiser descriptions.

Learning focuses

The learning focuses are identified and developed from the curriculum organisers and reflect the significant components of each curriculum organiser.

Learning goals

Learning goals are organised to reflect a range of learning. Learning goals are designed to build from awareness or recognition through to use and application of particular knowledge, understanding and skills, and are found in a student’s QCIA curriculum plan.

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/qcia_guidel_ind_learn.pdf



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3.2 QCIA Curriculum plan builder The QCIA Curriculum plan builder is a software application embedded within the School Portal7 on the QCAA website. Schools must use the Curriculum plan builder to create curriculum plans for students eligible for a QCIA.

The Curriculum plan builder embeds:

• eligibility criteria to receive the QCIA

• identification of the number of QCE-contributing studies (from the Core learning category) likely to be completed by the student

• learning goals selected from the GIL

• school contact details for the QCIA

• approval of the curriculum plan by the school moderator.

When creating a student’s curriculum plan, it is understood that some students may complete a school-based modified program as a group; however, QCIA curriculum plans should be different for each student to reflect their individual learning goals.

The purpose of a curriculum plan is to identify the learning goals that a student may achieve towards the end of their senior phase of learning — it is not necessary to choose every learning goal a student may achieve during their senior phase of learning. 20–30 learning goals would be reasonable for most curriculum plans.

For more information about using the QCIA Curriculum plan builder, see Creating QCIA curriculum plans: A guide for schools: https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/curriculum_plan_builder_handbook.pdf.

3.3 Amending a curriculum plan During the senior phase of learning, a student’s enrolment may change.

For students with curriculum plans approved prior to 2016 only, an amendment using the QCIA curriculum plan amendment form is required if a student leaves the school, changes their expected exit year or undertakes additional QCE learning, which may mean they are no longer eligible for a QCIA. The QCIA Curriculum plan amendment form is available from: https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/certificates-qualifications/qcia/curriculum.

From 2016, schools use the Curriculum plan builder to create a student’s curriculum plan. Any changes to number of QCE contributing studies or learning goals within a curriculum plan are made through the Curriculum plan builder. If a student ceases enrolment, changes their expected exit year or is no longer eligible to receive a QCIA, schools must update SLIMS-RABS and SDCS.

7 The QCIA Curriculum plan builder is accessed via the School Portal on the QCAA website: https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/.

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/curriculum_plan_builder_handbook.pdf


https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/



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4 Quality assurance processes A memo is released at the beginning of each year outlining the policy and procedures associated with the QCIA. To ensure that the QCIA meets the Australasian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities’ (ACACA) principles, a number of quality assurance procedures need to occur.

4.1 Gathering evidence of learning Schools collect evidence of learning throughout a student’s senior phase of learning.

In the student’s exiting year, the school generates draft QCIA information based on demonstrated learning and evidence of achievement and participation. This information should be discussed with students and their parents/carers before the final submission of school data to the QCAA. See the Guideline for individual learning (GIL) for suggestions for collecting different types of evidence: https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/qcia_guidel_ind_learn.pdf.

4.2 School-based moderation School-based moderation for QCIA involves professional discussions between teachers involved in the student’s learning to gain a shared understanding of the student’s progress and to gain evidence for achievements in learning and participation.

4.3 Verification Verification provides feedback to schools about the quality of draft QCIA information and evidence submitted to substantiate the Statement of Achievement and Statement of Participation.

4.3.1 District verification meetings Peer moderation is the main process that ensures the validity and reliability of the QCIA information. This occurs at the district verification meeting facilitated by QCAA District Advisers. All schools with students expected to receive a QCIA at the end of the year are required to send one school representative to the meeting. The representative should be a Year 12 teacher responsible for the QCIA, Head of Special Education Services (HOSES) or similar role.

4.3.2 Preparing for verification Schools prepare the following information for QCIA verification meetings:

1. Draft certificate information for all exiting students, including statements of achievement and statements of participation. This information is prepared in SLIMS–RABS (see Section 5.3).

2. Folio/s of evidence used to make judgments (a folio for one student if fewer than 10 students are exiting, or folios for two students if 10 or more students are exiting). Folios must provide annotated evidence for all statements of achievement (organised within curriculum organisers) and statements of participation. The student’s curriculum plan is required with the folio/s of evidence; however, the focus of the verification meeting will be on the folio of evidence matching the draft certificate information.

3. Ensure that all exiting students with certificate information in SLIMS-RABS are also identified in SDCS.

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/qcia_guidel_ind_learn.pdf



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It is important that there is no duplication between the Statement of Achievement and the Statement of Participation. Additionally, there must be no duplication with any QCE contributing studies.

4.3.3 Feedback and advice to schools QCAA officers use review notes from the verification meeting to provide feedback and advice to schools about how well the draft certificate information meets the certificate guidelines and evidence provided. Schools must act upon feedback and advice to alter certificate information or provide further evidence of student achievement as required. Information about verification protocols is available in the A-Z of Senior Moderation, Section 2.9: https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/snr_qa_mod_a-z.pdf.

4.4 State review 4.4.1 State review meeting The second phase of the moderation process occurs in October. The final draft certificate information must be recorded in SLIMS-RABS by the required date in the QCAA SEP calendar https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/sep-calendar.

Schools are required to:

• submit certification information for exiting students in SLIMS-RABS

• confirm exiting students have been identified in the exit cohort of SDCS

• check that the QCIA achievement does not duplicate any QCE contributing studies

• ensure the accuracy and quality of the certificate data.

The district advisers for the QCIA and officers of the QCAA review the provisional certificate information for all schools.

4.4.2 Feedback and advice to schools Feedback is provided to schools about students’ provisional certificate information after the state review meeting.

QCAA staff will highlight duplication issues with achievements in QCE-contributing studies to the school, and may discuss issues about provisional certificate information with schools. Schools must act upon feedback and advice to alter certificate information as required.

Schools must update certificate information according to feedback and advice before the final date for schools to provide QCIA data via SLIMS-RABS (see the QCAA SEP calendar https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/sep-calendar).

Information about state review protocols is available in the A-Z of Senior Moderation, Section 2.10: https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/snr_qa_mod_a-z.pdf.

4.5 Pre-production checks of certificates Officers of the QCAA check all certificate data for formatting and to ensure the information will fit on the certificate. Schools may be contacted to make corrections, which must be completed immediately.

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/snr_qa_mod_a-z.pdf



https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/snr_qa_mod_a-z.pdf



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5 Guidelines for the Statement of Achievement and Statement of Participation

5.1 Statement of Achievement The aim of the Statement of Achievement is to provide an overview of a student’s demonstrated educational achievement within the curriculum organisers. Achievements do not need to be recorded for each curriculum organiser. There is a specific format for writing the Statement of Achievement.

5.1.1 Number of statements to be included The QCIA is a one-page document with limited space for statements in each curriculum organiser. It is important to keep statements brief. As a guide, write up to six sentences per curriculum organiser.

Each statement must be supported by evidence in the folio of student achievement.

5.1.2 Writing statements of achievement Statements of achievement should:

• describe demonstrated knowledge and skills

• be expressed positively

• aim for clear and specific statements about demonstrated achievement

• include the context or qualifier for the achievement

• focus on achievement (‘does’, ‘applies’, ‘shows’) rather than ability (‘can do’, ‘may be able to do’, ‘able to’, ‘ability to’)

• maintain a consistent tense (e.g. ‘Produces emails using familiar software’, ‘Completes personal details information using a range of formats’)

• be appropriate for the curriculum organiser in which they are placed.

To adhere to the guidelines for writing the Statement of Achievement:

• use the Macquarie Dictionary (6th edition - online or print)

• refer to Appendix 1: Writing conventions for the Statement of Achievement

• refer to Appendix 2: List of verbs

• refer to Appendix 3: Spelling list.

5.2 Statement of Participation The Statement of Participation includes the names or titles of activities a student has undertaken. There is no provision for explaining the activity or indicating the nature of any achievements or standards that might be associated with the activity.



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5.2.1 Number of statements to be included There is provision for a maximum of eight statements of participation per student. Each statement must be supported by evidence in the folio of student achievement.

Statements of participation are selected from a list included in SLIMS- RABS. There is no provision to add an activity to this list. See Appendix 4 for a list of statements of participation.

Statements of participation must not be duplicated with the Statement of Achievement or any completed QCE contributing studies.

5.3 Entering statements of achievement and statements of participation using SLIMS-RABS Schools may select from sample statements of achievement in SLIMS-RABS or use the free-form text field to enter specific statements to report the learning achievements for students.

Statements of participation can only be selected from the list in SLIMS-RABS.

QCIA achievement information should only be entered for exiting students prior to verification (see Section 4). The QCIA information that has been selected or entered may be previewed and printed for checking.

The document SLIMS and QCIA data provides information about entering statements of achievement and participation, viewing, editing and printing draft certificate information: https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/slims_qcia_user_guide.pdf.

https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/slims_qcia_user_guide.pdf



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6 Senior Education Profile (SEP) For eligible students, the QCIA is issued as part of their SEP.

6.1 Senior Statement Students who have completed any QCE-contributing studies and have information in their learning account will receive a Senior Statement as well as a QCIA. This statement is a transcript of the learning account that records all QCE-contributing studies and results achieved. Achievements in Authority and Authority-registered subjects, completed VET qualifications or units of competency and recognised studies are recorded on the Senior Statement.

6.2 Statement of Results If a student leaves school or completes Year 12 without achieving a QCE, learning can be added to a learning account for up to seven years after leaving school. The Statement of Results is a transcript of the learning account issued when a student achieves a QCE after Year 12. The Statement of Results shows all studies and the results achieved that may contribute to the award of a QCE.

6.3 Querying QCIA information Students and their parents/carers are entitled to query the information recorded in the SEP. Schools must retain the student work and compiled student portfolios of evidence of achievement on which decisions about the Statement of Achievement and Statement of Participation are based until all such requests have been finalised.

The form Application for verification or review of information is included in the SEP envelope posted to students.

This form is used only if there is an error in the student’s name or certificate information. The student or a parent/carer completes the form and returns it with the payment to QCAA.

Schools may be asked to check and verify that certificate information is correct. Requests are usually finalised by the end of Term 1 in the year following certification.



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Appendix 1: Writing conventions for the Statement of Achievement The table below is used to help construct clear statements of achievement.

Not stated

Verb (present tense)

Adjective (optional)

Subject Demonstrated knowledge/ skill or context8

Qualifier (optional)

(the student)

9

Completes basic forms requiring personal details

with support

Applies mathematical knowledge to money handling and budgeting

with guidance

Uses a head-control switch to manipulate specialised computer software

Applies knowledge of basic road safety rules

The statements from the table would appear on the certificate as:

• Completes basic forms requiring personal details with support. (under CT curriculum organiser)

• Applies mathematical knowledge to money handling and budgeting with guidance. (under PLD curriculum organiser)

• Uses a head-control switch to manipulate specialised computer software. (under CT curriculum organiser)

• Applies knowledge of basic road safety rules. (under CCE curriculum organiser).

8 Context refers to the circumstances or facts that surround a particular situation or event. These may include the subject matter, the participants, the purposes (both implicit and explicit) and the social environment in which the activity occurs.

9 The student’s name or the words ‘the student’ are understood and not used at the beginning of statements of achievement.



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Do’s and Don’ts

Do Don’t

• begin with verbs in the present tense • place the qualifier at the end of the statement

(as indicated in the writing conventions) • use words and not numerals, e.g. ‘three’ • use the appropriate article —‘the’ or ‘a/an’: − the definite article ‘the’ refers to a specific noun,

e.g. ‘Applies the principles’ (already specified) − the indefinite article ‘a’ refers to an unknown or

unspecified noun, e.g. ‘Uses a calculator’ (any calculator).

− ‘a’ becomes ‘an’ before a noun starting with a vowel, e.g. ‘Shows an awareness’

• use alphabetical order for a group of words, e.g. ‘Uses crayons, paints and paper to create...’

• ensure words such as ‘aware’ or ‘awareness’, if used to show a demonstrated skill or knowledge, are preceded by an auxiliary verb for clarity, e.g. ‘Is aware’, ‘Shows an awareness’

• use a comma to separate items in the statement • use hyphens: − to clarify the meanings of words,

e.g. ‘up-to-date’, ‘cause-and-effect’ − when terms are used as adjectives,

e.g. ‘one-step instructions’, ‘full-time job’, ‘word-processing skills’, ‘post-school options’

− to clarify the meaning of new words that might otherwise be confused with established words, e.g. ‘re-cover’ (cover again) but ‘recover’ (retrieve)

• use capitals where appropriate, e.g. ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’, ‘Auslan’, but ‘internet’ is not capitalised

• use ‘s’ not ‘z’ in words such as ‘analyses’, ‘organises’, ‘recognises’, ‘utilises’ and their derivatives

• use correct spelling to distinguish nouns from their verb forms, e.g. ‘practice’ (noun), ‘practise/practising’ (verb); ‘advice’ (noun), ‘advise’ (verb)

• use descriptive rather than specific locations, e.g. ‘a fast-food outlet’, not ‘McDonalds’

• use generic terms rather than brand names: generic term instead of smartphone Android, iPhone hand held electronic device iPad

spreadsheet Excel games console Wii word processor Word presentation software PowerPoint

• start statements with an adverb, e.g. don’t write ‘Effectively communicates with peers’

• repeat the same knowledge or skill in the curriculum organisers or in the Statement of Participation

• describe attitudes or behaviour, e.g. don’t write ‘behaves well’, ‘displays appropriate behaviour’, ‘is courteous’, ‘work ethic’

• make value judgments or predictions, e.g. don’t write ‘will do well’, ‘will be suitable’.

Don’t use

• the student’s name • the verb ‘demonstrates’ (the Statement of

Achievement is demonstrated knowledge and skill in itself)

• the verb ‘participates’ (if participation is the achievement, then include in the Statement of Participation)

• the verb ‘attends’ (if attends is the achievement, then include in the Statement of Participation)

• the headings from school-based programs or subjects, e.g. learning program headings

• ‘independently’ as a qualifier (the Statement of Achievement is demonstrated knowledge and skill in itself; a qualifier such as ‘with assistance or prompting’ can be used to indicate that the skill or knowledge has not been demonstrated independently)

• personal pronouns, such as ‘her’, ‘his’, ‘own’ • abbreviations • a list of words in brackets • comparative language, such as ‘good’, ‘high’,

‘advanced’, ‘effectively’, ‘80%’ • technical or specialist terms • colloquial language, such as ‘uses apps’ • bullet points or paragraphing • official Authority or Authority-registered subject

names — use a generic name for the program, e.g. use ‘art program’ rather than ‘arts in practice’

• hyphens for ‘cooperate’, ‘coordinate’ and their derivatives, or for ‘email’, ‘nonfiction’, ‘wellbeing’ or ‘artwork’

• a comma before the qualifier, e.g. write ‘Completes information on forms with support’, not ‘Completes information on forms, with support’

• quotation marks, e.g. ‘Responds to familiar adults with yes or no’, not ‘Responds to familiar adults with “yes” or “no”’.



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Statements of achievement — including sufficient detail When writing statements of achievement, it is important to avoid statements that have only a few words. The table below lists some examples to illustrate statements where more detailed information can be provided about a student’s learning achievements.

Learning focus Statements of achievement Instead of … Consider …

Language use Communicates using gestures.

• Gains and maintains the attention of others using facial expressions and gestures.

• Points to a preferred object or activity from the choice of four symbols.

• Combines signing and vocalisations to converse with family and peers.

• Activates a voice-output device to greet, farewell and make requests.

• Uses eye-gaze to select a preferred leisure activity.

Operation of digital and other technologies

Uses the computer. • Uses a switch to activate cause-and-effect software on the computer.

• Creates artwork using a paint program on the computer with support.

• Focuses on the computer monitor and uses an adapted keyboard.

• Researches a topic of interest on the internet with support.

• Creates and responds to basic emails with assistance.

Technical and social protocols for use of digital technologies

Uses a telephone. • Responds to a ringing telephone, answers and holds a short conversation.

• Creates and sends a simple text message using a smartphone.

• Answers a telephone and relays the message information to others.



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Appendix 2: List of verbs A

accepts accesses accompanies activates acts adapts adds adheres administers adopts advocates aids analyses answers anticipates applies appreciates approximates arranges arrives articulates asks assembles assists attaches attempts aware B

balances banks behaves blinks books borrows bowls breaks budgets builds burns buys

C

calculates cares carries catalogues caters chairs charts chats checks chooses clarifies cleans clears closes collaborates collates collects combines comments communicates commutes competes compiles completes complies composes comprehends comprises computes conducts confirms considers constitutes constructs consults contacts contributes controls converses conveys cooks

cooperates coordinates copies counts creates crushes cues cultivates cuts D

dances decides decorates defines delivers demands deposits derives describes designs details determines develops dictates differentiates directs discerns discriminates discusses displays distributes downloads draws dresses dries drinks drives



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E

eats edits employs engages enquires ensures enters entertains establishes estimates evaluates exchanges exercises exhibits expands experiments explains explores expresses extends

F

facilitates features files fills films finances finds fishes fixes floats focuses folds follows formats forms formulates fulfils functions fundraises funds

G

gains gardens gathers generates gestures gives graphs grasps greets grooms grows guides

H

handles harvests helps hems holds I

identifies implements includes increases indicates informs initiates inputs inserts instructs integrates interacts interfaces interprets interviews introduces investigates invites involves irons

J

joins jumps justifies K

keeps kicks knows

L

labels leads links listens lists loads locates lodges logs

M

mails maintains makes manages manipulates manoeuvres manufactures markets matches measures meditates meets mentors models modifies monitors moulds moves



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N

names navigates needs negotiates networks notes

O

observes obtains offers officiates opens operates orders

P

packs paints pays peels places plans plants plays points possesses posts pots practises predicts prepares presents prints processes produces programs projects promotes prompts propels protects provides publishes purchases

Q

queries questions

R

raises reads reasons recalls receives recites recognises records recounts recycles reflects relates relays relies remembers repairs reports reproduces requests requires researches resources respects responds retains retells retrieves reviews rides rigs roleplays rotates runs

S

scans scoops scripts searches secures seeks

selects sells sends sequences serves sets sews shares shops showers shows signs sings sits skates socialises solves sorts sources speaks spells stays steers steps studies supervises supplements supplies supports sustains



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T

takes talks teaches telephones tells tenders tends trains transcribes transfers transports travels tunes turns types

U

umpires understands undertakes unloads uses utilises

V

vacuums videos views visits vocalises volunteers

WXYZ

walks washes watches waters wears weeds welcomes wipes withdraws works writes



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Appendix 3: Spelling list To ensure quality statements of achievement, the following A–Z list of spellings and capitalisations of frequently used certificate words may help facilitate the process. A

Aboriginal (adjective) Aboriginal peoples, but Aboriginal peoples and

Torres Strait Islander peoples accommodation adult learning centre (no hyphen) age-group analyse; analyses artwork audiocassette audiovisual

B

barbecue bike track bilingual board game braille (the system, not the person) brainstorm

C

cause-and-effect CD; CDs (no full stops) checklist childcare childcare centre; childcare facility; childcare worker clean-up (noun) close-up co-curricula co-develop computer-generated cooperates coordinates

D

daily living skills (no hyphen) day-to-day (adjective) decision making (noun); decision-making (adjective);

decision-making process desktop publishing disc (general use, e.g. compact disc) disk (computer term) driver’s licence drive-through DVD; DVDs (no full stops)

E

e-card effect (noun, transitive verb) email enrol; enrolled e-pal eye-pointing

F

fast food (noun); fast-food (adjective); fast-food outlet

fine-motor (adjective) first aid first-hand (adjective and adverb) fit-out float; floatation focused; focuses; focusing formula freehand fulfil; fulfilled; fulfilment; full-time (adjective); full-time work fundraising



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G

goodwill gross-motor

H

hairstyle half-hour handout hand-to-hand; hand-over-hand (adjective) handwritten; handwriting health care; health-care (adjective); health-care

provider healthy living; healthy living activities (no hyphen) horseriding housekeeping hygiene

I

independent-living skills in-depth (adjective) Indigenous (when describing Australian Aboriginal

and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples) indigenous (general term) in-service (adjective only) instil; instilled; instilling interactive whiteboard (no hyphen) internet interrelate interschool interstate; intrastate -ise/-ize: use –ise in verbs such as organise item bank item value itinerary

J

judgment K

kickboard

L

Landcare Landline laptop large-group (adjective) learned (adjective; learnt [past tense of learn]) learner permit (no apostrophe with learner) liaison licence (noun); license (verb) lifelike lifeline lifelong lifesaver; lifesaving life skills likelihood lip-read; lip-reading living skills; living-skills program logbook long-term (adjective) loose-leaf lower-case (adjective); lower case (noun) lunch-break lunchtime

M

mainstream makeup marksheets maxi cab media (noun, sing. and pl. for news or general

media) media (plural); medium (singular);

[art-related] modelled motorbike multi-age multicultural multilevel multimedia multipurpose multiskilling



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N

nationwide network; networking non-alcoholic nonfiction nonverbal noticeable

O

occurrence one- and two-step instructions one-step (adjective); one-step instructions ongoing online open-ended (adjective); open ended overall

P

parent–teacher part-time (adjective) part time peer group personal care requirements (no hyphen) personal care routines (no hyphen) personal hygiene needs (no hyphen) personal hygiene program (no hyphen) personal safety procedures (no hyphen) playdough post-compulsory post-school (adjective); post-school options pot plant procedures (no hyphen) practice (noun); practise/practising (verb) predetermine problem-solving (adjective) problem solving program; programmed; programming proofread

Q

quarter-hour questionnaire

R

real-life recipient reconstruct redevelop redraft re-edit reorganise re-vegetation rewrite road safety; road safety rules (no hyphen) roleplay (noun and verb); roleplaying

S

school age (noun); school-age (adjective) school-based self-awareness self-care (noun, adjective); self-care program self-esteem self-image self-management separate set-up short-term (adjective) sight-words soundtrack spellcheck statewide stationary (fixed or still); stationery (office materials) storytelling student-centred (adjective) student-devised subtotal SunSmart



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T

TAFE (no full stops) tape-recording targeted t-ball teamwork tenpin bowling time sheet timeframe timeline time-management skills timetable Torres Strait Islander peoples touch-type travelled turn-taking two-step (adjective); two-step instructions

U

under way upcoming upper-case up-to-date (adjective) useable

V

video camera video recording videocassette voiceover

W

webpage website well known; well-known (adjective) wellbeing wheelbarrow word processing (noun); word-processing

(adjective); word-processing program work experience (noun); work-experience

(adjective); work-experience program work program workbook workforce workload workplace work plan worksheet workshop worksite work skills worldwide worthwhile (adjective)

XYZ

year-old year-to-year (adjective); year to year (noun)



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Appendix 4: Statements of participation options

Active sports program Adult-options program Animal husbandry program Animal therapy program ANZAC Day ceremony Aquatics program Army cadets Aromatherapy program Art competition Art program Athletics carnival Automotive program Basic emergency response course Bicycle education course Bicycle maintenance program Blood donor Boating program Buddy program Camping Car washing program Catering at school functions Coffee shop program Community service Community Service Program Community volunteer work Community work skills program Community-access program Computer skills program Conservation program Cooking program Craft program Cross-country Debutante ball District representative sportsperson Driver education course Duke of Edinburgh Scheme Eisteddfod Enterprise education program Environmental support program

Etiquette course First aid course Fishing program Friendship program Fundraising Furniture making program Games program Graduation ceremony Group youth leader Gym program Gymnastics Horseriding Horticulture program Hospitality program Hydrotherapy program Indigenous program Individual sport Instrumental music program Interschool sport Kayaking program Landcare Landcare program Landscaping program Laundry program Lawn bowls Leadership camp Learn to swim program Library program Living skills program Manual arts program Marine program Market day program Music appreciation program Music competition National representative sportsperson Nursing home program Paper delivery program Paper shredding program



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Peer mentoring program Personal development program Personal fitness program Personal grooming course Personal grooming program Poetry competition Public transport and travel program Recycling program Residential grooming course Residential living program Retail program Rock Eisteddfod Sailing program School assembly program School camp School choir School concert School fete School gardening program School leadership program School liturgies School magazine School musical School newsletter School outreach program School play School social Senior formal Senior induction ceremony Senior leader Senior retreat Sensory program Sewing program Signing choir Social skills program Special athletics carnival Special gymnastics Special Olympics basketball Special Olympics bocce Special Olympics bowling Special Olympics golf Special Olympics soccer

Special swimming carnival Speech and drama group Sport coach Sport competition Sport program Sport referee State representative sportsperson Structured Work Placement Student council representative Swimming carnival Team sport Tenpin bowling Transition conference Tuckshop program Walkathon Water therapy program Wheelchair dancing program Work experience Work Readiness Program Young Achiever’s Australia Program

Documents

Queensland Certificate of Achievement Handbook · The Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA) Handbook Revised Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority July 2016